JOINT COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Jun 2012

Election of Chairman

Clerk to the Committee

As we have a quorum of six members, including one Teachta Dála and one Senator, I wish to call the meeting to order. I wish to advise members that they must turn their mobile telephones off when attending committee meetings. Active mobile telephones interfere with the sound system and RTE has informed us that it will not broadcast any part of a meeting where interference from mobile phones has occurred.

I wish to remind members that we are in public session. Apologies have been received from Senator Eamonn Coghlan.

The first item on the agenda is the election of a Chairman. I now call for nominations for the position of Chairman of the joint committee.

Deputy Patrick O’Donovan

I propose Deputy Tom Hayes as Chairman of the joint committee.

Clerk to the Committee

Are there any other nominations? As there are no other nominations, I declare Deputy Tom Hayes elected Chairman of the joint committee and invite him to take the Chair.

Deputy Tom Hayes took the Chair.

Chairman

I want to thank my proposer. I do not know whether there is a seconder.

Deputy Timmy Dooley

I second the nomination.

Chairman

Thank you.

Senator Sean D. Barrett

Nobody is going to challenge the Chairman.

Chairman

It is a great honour to take up this very responsible position. We are covering two Government Departments and there is a great debate across the transport, tourism, sports, communications and energy sectors. We can get our teeth into a lot of things, including transport issues in particular. There is a potential for tourism which is totally untapped, so we need to get involved in that. We are proud of our sporting achievements in this country and I can see a big potential for development in that regard. Communications is also an important sector. Other committees have invited the board of RTE to appear before them, but I think it is time we brought in the performers and commentators in RTE, including the Pat Kennys of this world. We should examine that matter at some future stage. I know the committee will have a heavy workload. Deputy O'Donovan is smiling but it is something we need to examine.

Deputy Patrick O’Donovan

Like "Liveline", Chairman.

Chairman

They are opinion formers and we should look at that matter at some stage in the future.

I will now introduce our secretariat. The clerk to the committee is Mr. Pat Haran, whom some of you will know already. The other members of our team are the senior clerk, Ms Harriet Coughlan, as well as Mr. Denis McKenna and Ms Josephine Curran. I am sure that members of the committee are already familiar with them.